13 March 2024
At the JEC World 2024 exhibition, members of the Alliance showcased their range of Flax-Linen and Hemp materials aimed at the automotive, aerospace, marine, sports & leisure, design, and lifestyle markets... An update on the news from this edition.
The strengthened partnership between the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp and the JEC Group has led to the creation of the "Natural Fibres Village," a 250m2 space dedicated to natural fibre-based composites Linen & Hemp.
This unprecedented area allowed the Alliance to showcase its latest developments and the innovations of ten of its members: Bcomp, CultureIn, Demgy, Depestele, EcoTechnilin, Flipts & Dobbels, Safilin, Terre de Lin, and Texinov Tech.
New exhibitors included the internationally-renowned Belgian weaver Libeco, which took advantage of its inclusion in the "village" to unveil its 2D woven Linen reinforcements for the composites sector.
‘‘JEC World 2024 sees European Flax™ and Hemp fibres taking a global step forward in advancing the bioeconomy of the engineering and composites sector. These natural fibres, combining their remarkable physical properties and eco-friendly characteristics, allow the most innovative manufacturers in the composites industry to create massive reductions in their overall environmental impact. Backed by scientific validation, our work confirms that Flax and Hemp solutions now meet and exceed manufacturers’ expectations for performance, helping them align with the needs of industrial customers and end consumers in a cleaner composite future.”
Valentin Depestele - Président de la section des usages techniques Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp.
Another exhibition space at the fair, "Planet JEC Mobility," provided members of the Greenboats Alliance and Depestele the opportunity to showcase the structure of the Sherpa-Greenlander camper made from reinforced Linen composite, which was a finalist in the JEC Innovation Awards 2024. Meanwhile, Polestar and Bcomp exhibited the dossier of the Polestar 3 SUV seat, which is made from Linen fibres.
The Alliance for European Flax Linen & Hemp is committed to an environmental trajectory based on reliable data on the environmental impact of European Flax™ fibres - representing three-quarters of global production. Data on both long and short fibres of European Flax are now available in version 3.10 of the ecoinvent database. This data will enable industries and brands using European Flax™ to calculate the environmental impact of their products with representative and reliable data.
"The Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp enriches the composites industry by meticulously creating and updating detailed scientifically proven technical assessments. We are proud to reinforce this commitment to providing the market with the most comprehensive environmental information, with European Flax™ data now added to the ecoinvent database. This update showcases the sustainable and functional properties of Flax-Linen in the leading material database and highlights their value for high-performance and eco-friendly solutions. Through a fusion of innovation and rigorous research, the Alliance pioneers a path towards a greener and technically advanced future for the composites industry."
Julie Pariset - Innovation & RSE Director, Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp
On 5th March 2024, the conference "Natural Fibres Linen & Hemp: Solutions for the Composites Industry" took place at JEC WORLD 2024 with representatives from the Alliance: Julie Pariset - Innovation & CSR Director, and Marie Demaegdt - Sustainability Director, alongside Gilles Koolen - Postdoctoral Researcher at KU Leuven and expert from the European Scientific Council of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp.
Highlighting recent developments in Linen & Hemp composites, emphasizing the environmental trajectory of European Linen, the speakers explained to the audience that European Linen and Hemp are inspiring the composites industry while meeting the expectations and sustainable development approach of manufacturers and their clients.
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